Monday, June 30, 2014

Math File Folder Games is a terrific company that creates fun, challenging, multiplayer iOS games for Math. These games cover a wide variety of topics such as: fractions, graphing (plotting points), order of operations, and more. Also, these games track student progress, allow for email to share results, as well as blue tooth enabled for multiple players to play across separate devices. This is perfect for Game Based Learning as well as for those classrooms that use "centers".

I highly recommend checking out Math File Folder Games by clicking here!!!

Level it Books is one of the apps I get asked about most frequently. This is fantastic mobile app (Android/iOS) for educators, parents, or librarians, looking to track their student's Reading Level as well as keep a digital library of books in a convenient easy way. All a user has to do is scan a books ISBN# (i.e. bar code) and get a Reading/Lexile level. A teacher can even create a class roster and track their student's level, create a digital library of class books, and even select/create a "book of the day".

Math w/ amigos is quickly becoming one of son's favorite iOS apps (free) for practicing his basic Math skills (ages 4-10). This is a super fun app ideal for Game Based Learning that allows students to compete against others from around the world as they solve Math problems in areas such as: addition, order of operations, and more. Best of all, is the ability for a parent or educator to track student progress and see which areas they need improvement in. The number of levels and ability to unlock hidden features by earning rewards makes this game have high replay value too.

30hands is one of my all-time favorite free iOS apps for Digital Storytelling. This is a simple app to use w/ a detailed walk-through that helps any first time user create their own. Everything is done in a user friendly drag-n-drop interface that allows students to add/take photos, draw, and record narration to each slide. Once the story is complete it can then be uploaded to the cloud via the free educational community 30hands Learning. This is a great LMS that lets educators share their student work, assess them, and much much more.

I highly recommend checking out the 30hands app & Learning community by clicking here!!!

iPractice Math is a fantastic new (beta) site that is ideal for all things Math related. This is a great place for educators or students to find: printables, worksheets, problem walk-throughs, definitions, and more, for grades K-12. The subjects covered are as simple as basic Math to as advanced as Trigonometry or Calculus. Also, there is an educational portal that allows educators to track students and generate detailed reports.

Door 24 is one of my favorite free iPad apps for Math grades 4th-8th. This is a super fun app that challenges students critical thinking skills as they use computational Math skills to solve different problems and help a robot put their circuits back together and solve the mystery behind Door 24. This app is correlated to Common Core Standards and focuses on different Math areas such as: Algebraic thinking, Number Sense, and more.

Mocomi is a new site that I just found out about for finding educational videos/animations. However, this is also a place where kids can find different educational activities, games, puzzles, and more. This is really a nice one-stop shop for students that brings back
memories of Yahooligans in a more organized way.

Booktrack Classroom is a very simple yet powerful free Web 2.0 tool that can help students boost their test scores, love of reading, and creativity by adding a soundtrack to any text, writing, or digital book. This is a great website that is being used by educators grades K-12 to help ignite a student's creativity by adding a soundtrack to papers, stories, poems, etc as well as help them w/ their reading and comprehension skills. Also, Booktrack is aligned to Common Core Standards, ideal for the Reading/Writing curriculum, and proven to engage and increase student test scores.

I highly recommend checking out Booktrack Classroom by clicking here!!!

Water Cycle HD is a fantastic iPad app (that is free today) that is STEM related and ideal for learning about the Water Cycle. This educational app uses a combination of videos, animations, and photographs, to help students learn about the Water Cycle. Also, WC HD follows Common Core Standards and has a quiz that students can take to reinforce learning. The quiz has three different levels of difficulty and follows Bloom's taxonomy.

Otus is a fantastic new free learning tool for the mobile classroom. This is a innovative mobile learning environment that lets educators and students interact in a safe and easy way. There is a free iPad app for educators and one for students that lets teachers: assess, track students, poll, grade, browse the web and more. While students can do their assignments, take notes in real-time in split screen mode, and view instruction at home for Flipped Learning. Otus is a all-in-one Mobile Learning solution for the 1:1 to classroom.

ZooKazam is a wonderful free iOS app for Augmented Reality that can be used in the Science classroom. This is a fun super easy to use app that has users printing out a "target" and then interacting w/ animals, dinosaurs, and safari animals in augmented reality. What's cool is the ability to not only take a photo or video of the animal in augmented reality, but interact w/ it by changing the elements (i.e. make it rain or snow) and more.

Friday, June 27, 2014

DimensionU is one of the leading companies around for creating innovative educational games in a 3D virtual world. These games focus on Math & Literacy and are designed for grades 3rd-9th. These game are designed for Common Core Standards and cover a wide variety of topics for each subject. Best of all these games have high-replay, track student scores, and ideal for Game Based Learning.

Below are 4 DimensionU games...

Watch the videos below to see all 4 AMAZING DimensionU Games in action:

Meltdown is the DimensionU game
that offers students a second
chance when answering difficult
questions, and rewards creative
strategies to achieve victory.

Swarm is DimensionU's team-based
game that most strongly reinforces
cooperation and collaboration
between students to achieve a
common goal.

Towerstorm is the DimensionU
game that is best for working
through the most curriculum
in the shortest amount of time.

Velocity is DimensionU's
high-speed obstacle course that
ensures players answer questions
correctly in order to continue
progressing through the race.

I've been in touch w/ the people over at Shadow Puppet and excited to announce their new spinoff free iOS app for education, Shadow Puppet Edu. This is an excellent easy to use app for Project Based Learning and Digital Storytelling. Like the former app it has a drag and drop interface but w/ this new educational instance it allows for easier/safer searching and integration of pictures as well as no student email account to use.

Below is a list of their other features...

Make videos just like before combining photos, video clips,
voice, text and drawing. Use up to 100 images, and make videos up to 30
minutes long. All limits/purchases on the consumer version have been
removed and the app will be free for edu use.

Search the Library of Congress, NASA, Creative Commons, or
generic web/gif search for awesome content to include in videos. A
citation page is automatically added to the end of the video. We're
super excited about the potential here in social science and science
classes—our search tools make it possible to access and use amazing
content from Library of Congress and NASA in a way we haven't seen any
other apps do.

Common Core-aligned activity ideas to make it easy to get started
using Shadow Puppet Edu in English, social studies, science, math, art
and foreign language classes.

Controls to disable web image search. Parental gates for sharing and the ability to disable/enable those as well.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

BoomWriter is the free award winning Web 2.0 site for Collaborative Writing. Educators are using this around the world to integrate technology into their classroom in a easy way, as well as using it for Project Based Learning. Best of all, BW is housed in an educational portal that allows educators to create/manage student accounts (no student email is required).

The innovative process that BoomWriter uses for their collaborative platform allows educators to choose or create their own story starter. Once this is done, each student take part in the writing process and types the next chapter. After that, each student then votes on which chapter they would like included in the finished product, the one w/ the most votes gets included. On and on this process goes until the story or book is finished. All of this is done online and in their safe network and once the finished product is done an actual published book can be order
ed. First time teachers get their very own free class copy.

Also, BoomWriter has lots of educational resources and lessons that other educators can use or look through to see how BoomWriter is being used in other classrooms. Educators are using it for all sorts of Writing projects such as: poetry, persuasive writing, first person stories, and more.

Math vs Dinosaurs is the new free Android (Google Play) app by the creators of Zeus vs. Monsters. As far as I'm concerned this is Peaksel's most robust app yet and great for Game Based Learning. The game has dozen's of levels for student's to play through as they solve basic Math (i.e. addition, subtraction, etc) equations. For those w/ other Peaksel games, they feature excellent graphics, high replay value, and fun game play. Best of all, are the educator features that allow them to choose which numbers and type of equations that occur in the game. Also, wrong answers reveal the correct answer as well as tracking student progress.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

SpellingCity is probably the most robust and popular site around for Vocabulary/Spelling. This is a tool that educators are using in classrooms of all grade levels to help improve student's skills. Best of all educators can find or create their own word lists and then integrate them into over 26 different games. This is a great and fun way to help students practice their Spelling & Vocab skills while learning at the same time. Also, SC has lots of resources for teachers to use as well as a free mobile app (i.e. Kindle, iOS, Amazon) that integrates w/ the site for mobile learning.

Digipuzzle is a nice site for finding educational games for El Ed. This is a relatively new site but there are games in subjects such as: Math, LA, Geography, and more. It's a fun site that's easy to use can be a nice tool for centers or Game Based Learning.

EDpuzzle is vastly becoming one of the premiere web tools around for learning in the classroom. This is fantastic free tool for editing a video, cropping, adding quizzes/polls, narration, etc. then embedding into site/blog. It is being used to flip a classroom or lesson, Project Based Learning, and even for differentiating instruction. The educational portal allows students to sign-up w/out needing an email account and lets educators track student progress in real-time.

Speech Wizard is an excellent iPad app that is normally $39.99 but free today. This app is perfect for ESL, parents, or Speech Therapists looking to help students w/ their articulation skills. This is done through fun Game Based Learning activities that has students using flashcards, going on sound hunts, and more. Best of all is the data tracking/report generating as well as the ab
ility to record your voice or pronunciation of words.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

The Answer Pad is one of the best and easy to use free Student Response/Dialogue Systems for mobile devices. It is fantastic learning tool that is being used by classrooms all around the world that allows educators to assess their students in real-time on their mobile devices. The way this works is the educator creates from scratch or uses Common Core Aligned templates to create assignments, tests, quizzes, etc and then pushes them out to their student's mobile devices. The students then complete the assignment and the teacher is able to view/assess their work. This is a great way to differentiate instruction and even flip a lesson.

Also, there are other beneficial tools such as the ability to draw, annotate, create digital portfolios, important photos, and more to help save teacher's time. Answer Pad is a great way to turn the classroom paperless as all test taking/reporting can be done on a mobile device. Best of all, it is safe and CIPA/COPPA compliant where educators can create/import student accounts.

Simply put, Super Teacher Worksheets is one the best and most affordable educational resources for teachers. This is a must have for any K-5 educator looking for worksheets, printables, flashcards, and more. Also, there are 1000's of printables/worksheets on a wide range of subjects such as: Math, Science, Reading, etc, that are aligned to Common Core Standards. STW even has worksheet generators for puzzles, crosswords, etc, as resources for different holidays and events.

Monday, June 23, 2014

GoClass is a excellent free all-in-one solution for Mobile Learning or the mobile (1:1) classroom. This is an innovative way to integrate technology into the classroom by using their free app on their mobile devices. The way this works is the educator creates their class/students through the web interface and then creates the lesson. The students then use their mobile devices to complete the assignment and interact w/ the teacher/lesson. Best of all the teacher can view and assess in real-time what each student is doing on their mobile device. This is a great way to flip a class and differentiate instruction.

Been for Education is one of my favorite new Web 2.0 sites for Social Learning & Bookmarking. This is a innovative site that combines the the bookmarking abilities of Diigo w/ a visual interface similar to MentorMob to create a innovative experience to browse the web. Best of all, this is all done in a protective "bubble" w/ Been's educational portal that allows educators to create/manage student accounts. Educators are using Been in wide variety of ways such as: guided learning, web scavenger hunts, introducing a topic, research, flipping a lesson, and more.

I highly recommend checking out Been for Education by clicking here!!!

Also, if you're going to be attending ISTE be sure to visit them here.

Superhero Comic Book Maker is a fun iOS app for creating a digital comic. This is a great app that can be used for digital storytelling that has tons of different stickers, animations, backgrounds, and sound effects. A user can even draw/color in their comic and make the stickers move by tapping on it or dragging around the screen. Best of all, a student can record their own narration to take their storytelling to the next level.

I highly recommend checking out Superhero Comic Book Maker by clicking here!!!

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Pixel Press Floors is one of the coolest new iOS apps (free) that I just found out about from the amazing blog, iLearn Technology. This app is perfect for educators looking to integrate Game Based Learning as it lets users create their video game simply by drawing it. The way this works is by printing out a glyph paper and then drawing on it using pre-defined (i.e. x = spike, + = coins) symbols. Once it is finished, just snap a picture using your mobile device and begin playing. Of course you can use the in app draw tools to create the game as well. Finally, a finished game can be uploaded so others can play it as well (ala Scratch).

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Penzu Classroom is wonderful new web 2.0 site that allows educators/students to create online journals and more. This is done in a safe environment where educators create a journal/class and then students join via unique code (similar to ClassDojo). Once a student has joined a class a educator can send assignments, instructions, comment on student's work, etc. This is a great way for educators to organize and track their students all in one place via the cloud.
Educators can use it for any type of writing assignments, rough drafts, and even use it to "flip" a lesson.

Teachley: Mt. Multiplis is a fun new free iPad app that helps students w/ their basic multiplication skills. The reason I really love this game is that it takes a different approach to learning Math by avoiding drill a practice and focus on computational thinking as players build bridges w/ their multiplication skills. This is great for Game Based Learning as well as Differentiating Instruction, and has high replay value for students. Also, Teachly is aligned to Common Core Standards.

Reading Raven HD is a great iPad app for beginner readers. This beautiful interactive app has young students learning by completing lessons starting w/ letters and phonics to reading full sentences. All of this is done in a fun Game Based Learning environment where kids play and complete 11 different games/activities while earning rewards such as stickers. This game allows for multiple accounts, saves progress, and best of all lets a adult set the Reading Level.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Poindle is a nice new web tool that allows users to schedule an appointment. This is ideal for educators being that it works on any browser based device and lets them schedule appointments w/out the hassle of email or voice mail. Educators are using it to schedule te
am meetings, parent teacher meetings, TLA appointments, specials such as (music/tutors) and more.

Bouncy Balls is a neat little site I just found out about from the great blog, Teachbytes. This is a fun site that uses the computer's microphone to monitor sound levels. The greater the sound the more the balls bounce around the screen. This could be a great and fun visual way to monitor classroom noise levels and show students that they are being to loud.

Mission to Marsville is a online summer program offered by the innovative Game Based Learning/LMS company, NEXED. They are the company that developed Answerables, and are combing their virtual environment into a summer learning program to help kids prevent summer learning loss.

This is all done in their safe 3D virtual environment for grades 3rd-8th in the subjects of Math, Science, and Language. The program will go from July through Aug, and students will have access to: daily challenges, web resources linked to their curriculum, and interactives that are not only fun but challenging as well.

I highly recommend checking out Mission to Marsville by clicking here!!!

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Drive About: Number Neighborhood is the brand new iOS Math app by Artgig Studio. This is a fantastic game for young learners (5 and under) for learning basic Math concepts such as: counting, number recognition, tracing numbers, and more. As per usual w/ Artgig apps it features excellent graphics and animations and has a detailed parent area explaining the 9 different games. Kids get to explore different areas of the world by diving, sailing, and flying and completing fun activities.

I highly recommend checking out Drive About: Number Neighborhood by clicking here!!!

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Online Tutorials or walk-throughs are great for self paced learning. People have been using Google and YouTube to learn how to do things all the time. However, there are also sites specifically dedicated to Online Learning and helping people learn all kinds of subjects.

*This list is in alphabetical order.

10 Sites for Online/Educational Tutorials

Atomic Learning - Probably the most popular resource on the list, Atomic Learning is a great site to find all kinds of "How to" videos on all sorts of subjects for K-12. This is also a nice place to find other educational resources, professional development, and tips on how to integrate technology into the classroom.

Khan Academy - A widely talked about free site w/ lots of resources and tutorials on a wide variety of subjects such as: Math, Science, Economics, and more.

Lynda - A very nice site that reminds me a lot of Atomic Learning where users can look for tutorials on all sorts of subjects and even create custom playlists.

MentorMob/LessonPaths - One of my all-time favorite Web 2.0 sites that allows people to view and creating their own "Learning Playlists" through an innovative and easy to use interface.

Sophia - One of the most popular Learning networks around that not only offers tutorials, but online courses and resources as well. Also, this is one of the best places to find and learn how to create a Flipped Classroom/lesson.

Teacher Training Videos (TTV) - A great site by Russell Stannard that offers award winning screencasts to help teachers in wide range of topics.

Teachers Tech - A wonderful iOS app for finding videos on over 200 Web 2.0 resources to use in education.

Techsmith - Techsmith is a great company for creating your own screencasts and offers lots of tools/apps that are being used throughout education worldwide. Also, they have a wide abundance of free tutorials on how to use their products.

Brainbean is a nice little free iPad app designed for people of all ages that offers fun brain exercises/activities. These games range in wide variety of style such as: memory, creativity, drawing, patterns, and more. Each game lasts 60 seconds and are designed to get the brain working and spark creativity and other cognitive functions similar to Luminosity.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Hooda Math is a great site for Game Based Learning for the subject of Math w/ over 50 educational games. HM has games for KDG through HS as well as on a wide variety of subjects such as: Fractions, Algebra, and more. They even have more logic based games such as puzzles, Geometry, and Physics.

Monday, June 9, 2014

Exam Elf is a great new free iOS app that blends Game Based Learning w/ Math to make a fun learning experience for kids. This is all done in a fun interactive environment designed for grades 4th-6th and helps them develop their test taking skills.. Students try to answer questions and unlock different skills/features to help them progress in the game. Best of all are the features that are available to parents and teachers. Through something called "boosters" a educator/parent can sync up their copy of Exam Elf to their students/child's and then receive detailed real-time reporting. Also, they can send a virtual "high-five" and even help answer a question. This is a fantastic app for helping teach Math and develop basic test taking skills as well as provide high-replay value for students.

Plants by Tinybop is a fun iOS app that helps students (ages 6-8) learn about different topics in Science such as: plants, animals, and different biomes. This is all done in an inventive way where kids interact w/ different dioramas and control different elements and animals and watch what happens. Also, PBT labels the different object inside of the biome as well as let a student leave a question through their educational dashboard.

Friday, June 6, 2014

Mathbreakers is a new Math game that takes place in a 3D virtual world that is ideal for Game Based Learning. This innovative game focuses on different concepts in Math such as: fractions, multiplication, division, and more. It takes place in a fun and safe environment where students defeat enemies, solve a puzzle, or unlock a magic spell while solving and interacting w/ mathematical equations.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

ClassDojo the world famous free Web 2.0 site for educators to manage classroom behavior and share positive reinforcement w/ parents has just released their latest update. This update now allows for teachers to share their classes w/ other educators and administrators to keep them informed of how your class is doing.

More info here...

Partner with your grade-level team, specialist teachers, and TAs

Use ClassDojo consistently across your whole grade-level or school

Easily keep other teachers and administrators informed and on your side

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Slidebean is a site I mentioned a few months ago that is great for creating beautiful looking presentations. Well, they are out of beta and now open to all the public. This is a site that reminds of PPT but a lot nicer looking, cloud based, w/ the ability to embed into a site or blog. One of my favorite features of Slidebean are the abundance of templates a person can choose from such as: charts/graphs, collages, timeline slides, and more. Also, Slidebean is browser based and works on any mobile device. It can be used in education to "flip" a lesson or even Project Based Learning.

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

FlipSnack Edu is a new Web 2.0 site w/ educational portal that allows educators and students to create/deliver online content in a safe way. This is done by either uploading a PDF or creating it from their site. Once content or book is created a user can then add other multimedia such as: images, text, audio, etc. Another nice feature are the rubrics which allow educators to evaluate and assess assignments, making this a nice tool for Blended & Flipped Learning.

Monday, June 2, 2014

Buncee my favorite Web 2.0 tool of 2013 is not only a fantastic tool to use in education (w/ their educational portal), it is a great tool for educators to use to Flip a lesson or classroom. Teachers can create beautiful looking animated and narrated presentations that students can then view at home. Then they can complete their Buncee assignment online and educators can view/grade all w/in the safe web portal.

Also, Buncee is being used in education in many other ways such as:

posters (more stylized then Glogster)

eCards

announcements

Project Based Learning

writing prompts

poetry

presentations/slides

and more...

Below is a wonderful Buncee on how it is being integrated into the classroom...

Best Ed Tech Blog

Best Resource Sharing Blog 2011

Best New Blog

Best Resource Sharing Blog

Downloads

David Kapuler

I have been working w/ technology and education for over 14 years in a school setting. I'm looking for work in a K-12 environment as a Technology Integration/Support Specialist in WI/IL. Contact email - dkapuler@gmail.com
I'm currently looking to get my Mac OS/Repair Certification, as well as a Masters in Technology Integration.
Also, I have a solid background in web design, w/ network/server support.
On a personal note, I';m a proud father of 3 boys and 1 girl, and have been married for 10 years.